The New York Giants had an exciting 2025 offseason. It’s hard to describe it any other way, especially after the team added three quarterbacks: Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and first-round pick, Jaxson Dart.
Those additions alone make Big Blue’s time away from the field as productive as any offseason in recent years. And, when factoring third-overall pick Abdul Carter to the mix, it’s fair to say the Giants have injected some real juice into the fanbase ahead of training camp.
But not every move that GM Joe Schoen made has been greeted with superlatives. And, unfortunately, it’s one of his biggest free-agent signings that has ESPN’s Seth Walder displeased.
The addition of cornerback Paulson Adebo is a boost to a Giants secondary that needed it, but Walder thinks he qualifies as an overpay.
“Their most expensive free agent acquisition was Adebo. I was not a fan of the move,” Walder wrote. “Adebo, who suffered a broken femur in Week 7 last season, had strong on-ball numbers over the previous two seasons combined, with minus-49 EPA allowed as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats. But on-ball production isn’t stable from year to year, and metrics that I would consider more important — such as target rate and yards per coverage snap — are more worrying. In his limited sample last season, Adebo was targeted 21% of the time (most by any outside corner with at least 250 coverage snaps) and had a high 1.6 yards per coverage snap allowed.”
Indeed, signing a player to a massive contract — three years, $54 million — just a few months after suffering a severe injury is a massive risk. That said, it’s one the Giants had to take in order to bolster a secondary that includes cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Dru Phillips, along with star safety Jevon Holland, who was also signed in free agency this offseason.
Whether Adebo proves to be a smart signing or another blunder by Schoen will soon be revealed. Until then, the Giants deserve credit for taking a big swing at a critical position.
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